Sourav Ganguly debuts on Instagram on his 47th b'day
New Delhi, July 8: On the occasion of his 47th birthday, former Indian cricket captain and Padma Shri recipient, Sourav Ganguly on Monday announced his entry to Instagram, the Facebook-owned photo and video sharing app.
Through Instagram, Sourav via his handle "souravganguly", hopes to connect directly with his young fans, share memorable moments from his illustrious cricketing career, cheer for the Indian team as they play in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup and express his opinion on social causes, with Instagram''s 1 billion strong global community, an official statement said here.
"Reinvention is constantly required in cricket, as it is required in life. From leading India on the field, to commentary, to advising an IPL team, to now joining Instagram, I continue being connected with people who're passionate about this amazing sport. I hope to engage with young fans by sharing valuable insights on cricketing events and encourage them to join me in causes close to my heart," Ganguly was quoted as saying in the statement.
"As I turn another year older today, I want to make this a year where I give back to my fans. So here's to birthdays and new beginnings," the former skipper captioned his first image on Instagram where he is seen cutting a cake.
Welcoming him to the Instagram community, Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships, Facebook India, said: "Enabling expression and fostering connections are at the heart of Instagram, and for public figures like Sourav Ganguly, the community serves as another creative outlet that enables them to directly engage with their fans.
"We are thrilled to welcome him to Instagram and look forward to seeing him share his passions and engage with the community."
Ganguly joins a long list of eminent personalities from Bengal who are present on Instagram to engage with their fans, including actresses and newly-appointed MPs Nusrat Jahan and Mimi Chakraborty.
He already has a strong Facebook community of over 6,00,000 people and also has 4.12 million followers on Twitter.
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'With or without Budget, we are doing our work': Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said that he does not need announcements to be made in the State Budget to carry out developmental works.
He said this highlighting the developmental works in his native district of Bengaluru South.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the 2026-27 Budget on March 6. This would be Siddaramaiah's record 17th budget.
"No need to have expectations from the Budget. With or without the Budget, we are doing our work," Shivakumar said in response to a question on what can be expected from the Budget.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "Others need the Budget. We don't. It's not that we need to take up work only if it is announced in the Budget."
Citing the example of flagship Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) in Bengaluru South district, Shivakumar said, "You get a survey done across the country. Bengaluru South district has 25 government schools, each one costing Rs 15 crore. We have ensured it. Has anyone else done it? Was this in the Budget? We created it, it is our concept. Now there is a state level policy for 2,000 such schools."
Further pointing out that during the JD(S)-Congress coalition government under H D Kumaraswamy's Chief Ministership in 2018-19, he had ensured a medical college was announced for the then Ramanagara (now Bengaluru South) district, he said, "But the next BJP government under B S Yediyurappa cancelled it and took the medical college to Chikballapura district. Now, we have given medical colleges to both Ramanagara and Kanakapura (taluks in the Bengaluru South district)."
He also highlighted private medical colleges are coming up in Channapatna taluk and one between Ramanagara and Kanakapura taluks.
